The family of 22-year-old Ashlie Toews is asking for community support after the University of Victoria student died in a vehicle incident on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand on New Year's Day.

According to a GoFundMe campaign set up for her family, Toews had just completed her divemaster certification, and she was due to fly to Australia to start a job on Keppel Island.

"Ashlie is the love of our lives. She was such a bright, shining spirit, full of so much love, joy, passion, strength and compassion. Words will never be sufficient. The grief will be long and winding. The love that was shared through her, towards her and all around her will be forever," noted a statement from her parents on the GoFundMe site.

Donations from the will go towards funeral expenses in Thailand, flights for her parents and to allow them the time they need to heal without financial stress.

So far, the campaign has raised over $40,000, surpassing its initial $22,000 fundraising goal.